Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Not much going on out here in flyover country. Crops are planted, pivots are running, insects are out in force -- everything pretty normal for this time of year.
I'm making final preparations for a trip later this month. I think I have everything in order. Years ago, I could just do all this stuff two days before leaving -- now it takes me two months to be sure I haven't forgotten something. One of the easier things this year is that most countries have relaxed the requirements about Covid. It took a lot of planning to get entry into certain countries the past several years. That seems to be gone this time, at least for where we're going.
Have a great Saturday, everyone.
York1 John
Saturday morning and nobody is here?
Good thing the door was unlocked.
I think I'll just make my way to the kitchen and cook up some eggs.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
dti406I am happy here, no hurricanes.
Frankly, I am completely over Hurricanes.
Since I have owned this house, we have been hit by five Category 3 storms, and one Cat-4. I have lost track of all the 1, 2, Tropical Storms, Waves, Depressions, and whatever else have hit us.
The first 20 years I lived in Cape Coral I do not remember a single storm making landfall here, or crossing the state as a stable Cat-3. The past twenty years have simply been too much.
BATMANMy daughter was watching a PBS show on rising sea levels last night and while I had only half an ear open I heard Cape Coral mentioned.
It is not going to submerge in my lifetime, so I am not going to sweat about it.
That being said, anyone who doubts sea level rise should talk to a long term resident of Southwest Florida. All of the old stationary docks built in the 60s-80s have had to be replaced because they were underwater all the time. Fort Myers Beach had to build seawalls several years ago because high tide was getting to the streets. Vanderbilt Beach is completely underwater at high tide now.
This still is true...
"Wadda' ya' want to do today? I dunno, how bout just hang around a while..."
Union Pacific Railroad - UP gas turbine electric locomotive Nr. 75 - Salt Lake City Workshop, Utah by Historical Railway Images, on Flickr
The horns and classification lights count as signals
Click on the image to see it in Flickr, you can really see a lot of detail.
Regards, Ed
Good evening from the West Coast where the weather has been perfect for weeks.
Thanks for the move Dave, signals will be interesting.
I think I am finished with the bark mulch finally. Six loads were enough. I have also been very busy with other duties and I am wasted. All I could bring myself to do was 8km with the mutt and a couple of hours on the guitar out back.
My daughter was watching a PBS show on rising sea levels last night and while I had only half an ear open I heard Cape Coral mentioned. I think I will stay where I am on the high ground after what I heard.
The Mother-in-law died in March, but eight years ago she bought this magnolia tree for us that takes three strong men to move in its pot it weighs so much. Every year it blooms and is magnificent, not this year, not a speck of a flower has come out. We think she is sending a message.
I have some friends that sent me photos today of them scuba diving on the Barrier Reef in Australia, that sure took me back. When I was working and single, I could just tell the boss I was taking time off and go hop on a plane, I even kept a go bag in my car. I had my own parking spot at the terminal and could just leave my car there. I just decided one day I was completely bagged and walked out of the office and climbed on a plane for Australia and was scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef some 30 hrs later, those were the days. I met a girl that was from Winnipeg,(my hometown) on one of the dive trips and we hung out together for a couple of weeks. That was a great trip. I remember I was coming home on a Qantas 747 descending to Vancouver and we were really rockin and rolling on the way down. It was pouring rain and cold and I walked over to my office with a really good sun tan and ask how many more weeks of leave did I have in the bank? It was 47.
Like John, my wife and I are starting to lose a few friends as we creep up into our 60s. The ones we have lost and the ones suffering from disease all have one thing in common.
Have not been to any funerals as people are catching on to that racket, we have attended celebrations of life at people's homes that have been much more pleasurable to attend. We had a celebration of life for the MIL back in April that was very well attended. We had hundreds of photos and videos of her on the big screens that people loved seeing and my wife and her brother cooked up a sea of the MILs' favourite foods for all to enjoy.
Lots of light still left so I think I will head up the street and see what neighbour holds up a beer and waves me on in to set a spell.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
CNCharlie Ed, do you ever hear from Ken?
I called his home number back in January shortly after he made a brief, one-time appearance in the Diner but all I got was a fast busy signal like the number wasn't in service anymore. It would be nice to hear that he's OK, though.
Clear Signals Ahead by Don Kalkman, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
SeeYou190 The house next to me is for sale! For $290,000.00 you can become my next door neighbor. -Photograph by Kevin Parson Come on down & live the dream. -Kevin
The house next to me is for sale!
For $290,000.00 you can become my next door neighbor.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Come on down & live the dream.
I am happy here, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, no volcanos, no forest fires, and no nasty critters. And we have all the fresh WATER that we need and you can't have any.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Good Evening,
Another very hot day here. It was 90F, far above normal. I don't like the heat anymore. At one time I didn't mind it even during a trip to Sarawak in 2001 where it was very hot and humid. An amazing place and my wife got to hold a baby Orangutan. I couldn't take that heat now.
We are busy planting but too hot to do a lot. Getting daily visits to the yard by a male Mallard. He eats some seed on the circle and then goes for a dip in the pond. He quacks non stop so we always know when he arrives.
Nothing else new.
CN Charlie
I've been to Cafe Du Monde. Love it.
I went to a medical convention and walked from my hotel to the convention center. There was a bar where you play pool with a topless woman. One morning I passed a woman coming to work there and she was so high she could barely walk.
In the afternoon, I think by the convention center, I saw a woman from a distance that looked like one of my co-residents, except she had gained 50 pounds. I caught her eye as I was trying to decide if she was Lois. She wiggled her finger in a come here motion and I instantly felt guilty. She was not Lois!
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
maxman SeeYou190 I was disappointed in his portrayal in the movie. He was a a fascinating character, and the movie didn't quite do it right. ?? Didn't know he was a real person.
SeeYou190 I was disappointed in his portrayal in the movie. He was a a fascinating character, and the movie didn't quite do it right.
??
Didn't know he was a real person.
The movie was based on the book Short Timers. Short Timers was part 1 of the story, the second part is the book The Phantom Blooper, that I have never read. Part 3 does not exist.
I read Short Timers when I was a senior in High School, about two years before the movie came out. I read it immediately after I read Myth Adventures and Christine. I read three of my all-time favorite books that year one right after the other.
Anyway...
The movie is no where as messed up as the book is. Seriously, that book will mangle your brain.
In the book Animal Mother is a pure psychopath that will kill anyone he feels deserves it. The squad knows he has killed two of their own, one an officer, and it is rumored he killed another officer. He has opened fire with his M-60 on another US platoon, unknown how many he killed.
The tension in the book is incredible as the platoon not only needs to fight the PAVN, but also they know Animal Mother is their enemy as well. However, Animal Mother will lay down his life anytime to protect the squad, and he is the fiercest warrior, so they know they need him.
In the movie they kind of explain this when 8-Ball states that under fire Animal Mother is one of the finest human beings alive, he just needs someone to hurl grenades at him for the rest of his life. That pretty well sums it up.
It is similar to the tension in the book It where the children are not only pursued by a homicidal clown that may or may not be real, but also a psychopathic bully named Henry who is just as dangerous, but absolutely real. The movies could never capture that tension.
The biggest difference in the movie was Sgt Hartman on Parris Island. In the book he has a different name, something like Sgt Gershwin, and he is physically brutal and insane. In the movie he hurls insults, in the book he actually tortures the recruits. The movie really glosses over the basic training section with R. Lee Ermie's enjoyable and amusing portrayal. It is nothing like the horror in the book.
All the recruits are going insane on Parris Island, Pyle is the only one that snaps. Joker barely keeps it together, but he does start hallucinating that his rifle is alive.
If you can get the book, READ IT. It is truly a great book. It has been out of print since the movie was made, so it might be a bit pricey, but very worth it.
"The rifles we love will never love us back."
Hello —
This nondescript little brick building once played part in a historic endeavour:
110928_36 by lmyers83, on Flickr
CSX has since unceremoniously leveled the building in 2021 but at one time (1927) it was part of the proving ground for the first Centralized Traffic Control installation on what was then the New York Central.
Read more about that here: Railway Signaling Magazine
York1Chicory coffee that is dark and thick,
I remember my first sip of 'hearty', chicory-laced coffee on a GM&O dining car aboard the Abraham Lincoln on my way to Chicago from St. Louis. It was a real 'wake up' call!
The heavyweight dining car was still in service even after the Amtrak takeover in 1971.
GMnO_Diner-1075 by Edmund, on Flickr
Fond memories!
Time Has Run Out by CG Tower, MP 142.3, on Flickr
SeeYou190I was disappointed in his portrayal in the movie. He was a a fascinating character, and the movie didn't quite do it right.
maxmanUnfortunately, this always comes to mind:
When I was in my 20s, when that movie came out, I looked EXACTLY like Animal Mother. I had the identical muscley-but-not-ripped arms from years of repairing heavy equipment.
I was disappointed in his portrayal in the movie. He was a a fascinating character, and the movie didn't quite do it right.
I wish I had a picture of me in my Animal Mother costume. It was amazing.
I Am Become Death!
Hi Everyone,
Dave: thanks for doing the diner this month, flawlessly I might add. I think signals, etc is a good theme.
It's been warmer than usual here, high 80's low 90's F. A couple of weeks ago it was in the 60's F. I don't mind the heat at all, but I've noticed that as I've gotten older I don't respond to it as well as I used to. I'm a little more sluggish in the heat. Definitely drinking more water.
The kids just came back from a short vacay to SoCal. They sent us a pic from the beach just on the north side of Huntington Pier. The wind was gusting, but the surf was virtually flat. I'd say a foot if that. They looked cold. I think they had a good time though.
Nothing to report MRR wise at the moment.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
York1 I've said before that I don't think it's the number of people dying, but that I'm now at the age when people I know are dying.
Unfortunately, this always comes to mind:
John: Love beignets & Cafe Du Monde coffee; always a treat when we are in New Orleans. Growing up, a Texas based flour company, Pioneer, made a "french donut mix" that I know now to be a beignet mix. We don't get anything Pioneer in Kansas, but I don't recall seeing french donut mix in ages.
We are having a thunderstorm as I type. We have had more rain in the last six weeks than in the whole two and a half years I have lived in Dodge City. Our lawn has come back nicely. It doesn't hurt that my wife and I have become quite proficient in fixing leaks in our sprinkler system. If the truth be known, I would prefer that we not use it, as it only makes the grass grow, which then needs to be mowed and edged. However, that would annoy a couple of our neighbors who keep immaculate front yards. My wife is trying to keep up with them. Not really my thing (gardening), I'd rather be in the basement working on anything model railroad related.
Good morning, everyone. Well, we wait all year for this day: It's National Donut Day!
One of my favorite traditions after work or on a Saturday morning -- go to Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. Chicory coffee that is dark and thick, and freshly made beignets (we called them donuts) covered with powdered sugar. It was a treat every time.
I have another funeral to attend today. I've lost count, but the number of funerals the past year must be over 12. I've said before that I don't think it's the number of people dying, but that I'm now at the age when people I know are dying. Isn't there an old joke about reading the obituaries each morning to make sure I'm not there?
I'll check back in the diner later today after I get home.
I'm looking forward to seeing different kinds of signals. It's a part of railroading that I know absolutely nothing about.
Thanks, Mike.
Yes, the depression is under control. I've been driving almost 20years, now.
Good Morning Diners. Happy Friday! Brunhilda, I'll have a stack of blueberry pancakes please.
While working on a variety of projects, like the patio, I totally lost track of the fact that we haven't had rain in a long time. The sprinkler system was ready, but I didn't have it on. Now I'm paying for that as much of the grass out front is toasted. It's always harder to bring it back to green than it is to keep it green.
Lost in A2, sorry to hear about how things have shaken out for you so far. I hope you have the depression under control. Stuff like that can be a difficult bear to wrestle.
Most of the claims I've had to make with insurance were pretty straight forward so they generally went off without a hitch. Except one. I was driving on the highway one day in a wicked windstorm. The winds were blowing across the highway and the gusts were strong enough that they were somehow catching the drivers door on my truck and during the big gusts the door would actually flex enough that I could see light out the top. During one of the gusts I heard a pop/knock sound that sounded like a tire had kicked something up. When I got to my destination I discovered that wasn't the case. A crack had appeared in the door at the base of the B pillar. The adjuster came out and said that insurance would not cover it. He said that the door had been previously repaired (he showed me how to tell at least) and even though the technique used had previously been an approved repair technique by insurance companies, it was no longer approved as they see issues down the road with it, like cracks at the base of the A/B pillars. I was furious. I called my agent about it and he said he was shocked they weren't covering a failure of a previously approved repair (even though I didn't have the truck when it was done that didn't seem to matter) and would see what he could do and would call me. After a few weeks of radio silence, I started calling him and kept getting excuses about why he hadn't gotten anywhere with it yet. Eventually, he stopped taking my calls. I dropped both the agent and the insurance company. He was a local agent with Citizens Insurance, so it wasn't like I was using a fly by night insurance company. My wife's family had been with him for decades, we had been with him for at least 10 years, and we still were ultimately simply ignored. He ended up losing my wife's parents and her sister as customers because of his "response" to us as well. If he had simply said he tried but couldn't get the company to budge, I probably would have only changed insurance companies as he was an agent for several different ones. His loss.
John/York 1, neat center cab!
Cheers guys!
Mike
Track fiddlerIt's raining now.
We are in our daily rain cycle now.
The sprinkler system has been turned off. for the season.
Last time spending eight hours was slept, and it's raining now
TF
I just finished my marathon of all three Godfather movies.
What a great way to spend eight hours.
Sounds good to me!
It would appear that folks are in favour of using signaling as the theme for June. So be it!
Bring on the red, green and yellow, and of course the non-lit systems too.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
York1I lost my 43-day Wordle streak today. I won't give the word away, but I wouldn't have gotten it with ten guesses.
I got it in four. My wife and middle daughter both needed all six. My youngest daughter has not checked in yet.
York1 Doughless In the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around. That's exactly what happened in our town last year. We have 7,000 people in our town, and there must have been 30 different roofing companies with signs within a week of the storm. Most of the roofs are now done, but even a year later, there are still a lot of houses with holes in the siding and windows that are broken. We keep hearing about supply problems, but people are now wondering if these will be fixed before the next storm.
Doughless In the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around.
That's exactly what happened in our town last year. We have 7,000 people in our town, and there must have been 30 different roofing companies with signs within a week of the storm.
Most of the roofs are now done, but even a year later, there are still a lot of houses with holes in the siding and windows that are broken. We keep hearing about supply problems, but people are now wondering if these will be fixed before the next storm.
When I dealt with the SF claims guy 10 years ago, he said that a person should always phone their claim in right away. Don't wait. (I happened to actually phone it in while the hail was still falling, LOL.)
He said the big insurance companies set aside funds every quarter for claims as part of their budgeting process. But if you happen to file a claim late, the budgeted money could run out and then the companies become more stingy once claims exceed their budget for the quarter.
I filed my claim right away. One wall of siding needed replaced too. The nice claims guy said that he couldn't find siding to match, so he just resided the entire house.
- Douglas
Track fiddlerNo two and a half, three hour drives today. We're on a stay over, and we're going to catch the lunch boat pretty soon. Maybe a beer around noon!
Sounds like a good time! Have fun.
Good morning
Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders, don't upset us, all we ask, is that you lettuce, have it your way
No two and a half, three hour drives today. We're on a stay over, and we're going to catch the lunch boat pretty soon.
Maybe a beer around noon!
Have a great day gentlemen
Good morning, diners. I'm getting a late start this morning -- had several errands come up early. Since it's later, I'll just have some bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
SeeYou190My 88 day streak came to an end when the word was "GRIEF", my sixth guess was "BRIEF"... loser. I am back up to 13 days now.
I lost my 43-day Wordle streak today. I won't give the word away, but I wouldn't have gotten it with ten guesses.
Lost in A2When the cab company went belly-up, I took a job at a company doing wheelchair transport, so I still don't know where my next trip will take me.
It sounds like you've had an interesting time -- at least you probably meet some very interesting people.
DoughlessIn the midwest like Indiana, we'd have hail storms that ruin roofs. Within days I'd see signs in the neighborhoods of roofing companies that offered to do work. Its like there are mobile roofing crews that follow storms around.
Not much else going on on the plains. We keep hoping we will get some rain, but the lines of storms always break up before they reach us. This has been a long dry spell. If I didn't care about the lawn, I wouldn't water it, and then I wouldn't have to mow it.
I've lived near the Union Pacific line for a lot of years, but I don't remember ever seeing one of these:
Everyone have a good day!